The Arcana One Shots

♡Werewolf!MC x Muriel - To Be a Monster♡

Hello again!! Today's chapter is the second installment in the mythical creature series. This was the other chapter that was requested by SammyToon. Thanks for your amazing ideas!

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They had only met a few days ago, yet somehow, Asra had decided that Muriel and MC knew each other well enough for this. Muriel didn't understand why exactly MC needed to be watched. Asra had said that it was because Lucio was roaming the woods, but if that were true, then why wasn't MC just staying in the shop? 

Regardless of the real reason, Muriel wasn't about to turn down Asra's request, especially not when he seemed very concerned about not being there to be with MC himself.

So there they were, two strangers stuck inside Muriel's hut, silent and unmoving. Neither Muriel nor MC wanted to bother the other. MC felt bad about imposing on Muriel. They were already anxious enough as it was, they wished that they didn't have to rely on a total stranger to watch them. Muriel, on the other hand, was shy and kept to himself. He didn't like having people around and being asked to watch a total stranger while they were in his home? It made him very uncomfortable.

It had been a few hours since MC had arrived and Asra had left. And as per Asra's instructions, Muriel had barred the door and made sure there was no way for anything to come inside, or for anything to escape outside. 

Also per Asra's instructions, MC had been chained to the foot of the bed on one ankle, ensuring that they wouldn't be wandering around.

The chains really bothered Muriel. Not only did they remind him of his chains, but they really seemed to make MC anxious and depressed. He really didn't understand why they were necessary, but Asra was adamant and he wasn't going to disregard the request. Surely Asra had good reason, right?

The two strangers were both totally fine with not saying a single word to the other. Despite not talking, however, Muriel noticed how anxious MC was. 

He saw the tension in their shoulders and the way they constantly twisted their hands and wrung them together. He watched as they played with the hem of their shirt to distract themselves. He took note of how MC eyed their chains with distaste and sorrow as if they were ashamed of them. The pain was written in MC's furrowed eyebrows and small frown and the way their eyes shifted around the hut, almost in fear.

Muriel understood anxiety. He understood not wanting to be with strangers or imposing on others. He knew what it felt like to wear chains that he wasn't proud of. And he sympathized with the way MC shrunk themselves into the smallest space that they could occupy.

What Muriel didn't understand was why MC seemed so scared to be close to him. At first, he thought it was because he was so tall and broad and that MC knew of his past. But then he realized that all MC knew of him was that he was Asra's friend and nothing more. Then he thought that MC was simply anxious from whatever the reason they were here in the first place. But when Asra had talked to Muriel beforehand, he had mentioned how lively and fun MC  was, and that they would be a joy to have around.

The confusion plagued Muriel the entire time MC was over. He wondered why they refused to be near him. Why their hands shook and trembled, why they withdrew themselves to take up such little space and why they distanced themselves as far as possible.

It wasn't till MC accidentally tripped over their chains and fell into Muriel's side that he understood how they were feeling.

Upon impact, MC gasped and pulled back trembling. They looked at their hands and to Muriel's side as if they expected to see blood or wounds.